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Originally Posted by QuickSilver  Hm. It sounds like you are close to having a full system in place.
If I understand you correctly, I think what you need to do it officially start boot camp. Don't hope for her to gradually get better on her own. It sounds like she has both a crate and an xpen? Is the xpen lined with pads?
If you want her to be a completely outdoors dog, I would start crating her on a daily schedule. If she's not in her crate, she is either sleeping or you have both eyes on her. If she starts to go in the house, correct her and take her outside to finish. If you find evidence after the act, you need to watch her more closely or confine her more.
This is a real pain to do, but I think if you are really vigilant and stick to a crating schedule, you will see a big improvement in one or two weeks. At that point, you can gradually start giving her more freedom.
Not sure what to do about the lack of signals... this is partly why I decided to go with potty pads. Thor's signal that he needs to pee is that he starts peeing. Maybe her signalling will get stronger as she learns not to go indoors? Maybe someone else can chime in with ideas. |
Thanks for the thoughts! I guess you're right, it's time for BOOT CAMP!!!! to start in our house (again). It's tough to crate her because she will cry the entire time. And to not reinforce the crying getting her out I have to wait however long it'll take for her to quiet.... It's all kind of insane because when we'd crate her at night she's almost never cry.
I know part of my faulty current plan stems from me doing school work in the living room. It keeps me in the room with her where I should be able to watch her. But in reality if I'm working on my laptop then I really can't be watching her....
In her x-pen it's just her, a bed, toys, her bowls and an open spare crate. There's no pee pads, I got 2 things of them when she was a puppy from my Mom but Zoe would pee on them and
then rip them up. So I realized right away she'd have to be a total outside girl. (Though they'd be helpful for rainstorms but I don't want to teach her to go outside and then confuse her trying to have her go inside when it rains....)
Right now we've had a good day. She didn't have any accidents this morning and then I took her with us for the rest of the day. She was in her bag while we snuck her inside CostCo and before that she had a good old time at the dog park. So now she's EXHAUSTED and asleep on the couch. I'll tell you what, the second she wakes up and gets off it I'll have my eyes on her!
I'm afraid I'll be weak, and leave her in the living room instead of a crate when I can't watch her. Truthfully she will generally go to her bed and lay there but then again she also roams and has accidents at the same time. I just feel bad at 10 months old (7+ months with us) and I have to lock her up.... Guess I just have to be strong and try again and stick to it.
-Vicky (and sleeping Zoë)